αυяα
by KonoDragon
Summary: Where have we gone? A normal life, the past we understood. Now pure darkness in worming into our hearts. Even the strongest tree must rot one day. But we are collapsing. Sun, where have you gone? If only the powers of the night could get us out of here alive.
1. Prologue

All we know is darkness. The sun is a myth, only known of by the eldest of us all. The stars have left us, the moon vanished.

This darkness chokes us, swallowing us like a snake. It doesn't care what it devours, only as long as it is fed. The Darkness swallowed our parents and all of the others. It didn't even leave us with a clue to our world. We could have used a hint at our destinies.

Aimless, cold, and tired of it all, we can simply wander. Wander through the endless shadows, finding nothing.

My mother used to tell me and my sister stories of what the world was like before the sun left us, before the Shadows took her. She would tell us what it felt like, how beautiful everything was.

Oh, how badly I wanted to _really_ see the world. I wanted to see it in the light, instead of this dim twilight our families knew all too well. To meet those who basked in the light, before the Shadows extinguished it. I believe my sister would've liked that too.

The Shadow Serpent was hungry, and it wormed it's way inside of my sister, feeding. She tried to resist, but no one can, not anymore. She became weak and frail, clinging to life by a thin thread.

Silvermask tried to help, she really did. But without the sun, there was nothing we could do to help my sister. Few herbs were left, most of them having died like everything else when we were swallowed up by the darkness. We had little prey as it was, and Cloud, my sister, was simply another mouth to feed that wouldn't make it anyway.

I delved deeper into my memories, going back to one of the many stories my mother had told me and Cloud. I remembered one in particular.

She had said it was an old tale, back from the time of the sun-dwelling Clans. A story about a Clan named TigerClan, and how they too were forced to live in darkness. I never took it as being true, thinking it was simply a tale mothers told their kits to give them hope we would someday make it out and go back to the light.

Cloud was always the more gullible of the two of us.

_"I know it's true!" _she would tell me._ "Why would mother lie to us?"_

_"To give us hope,"_ I always mewed in response.

_"And if it's to give us hope, why would she lie to us, Hawk?"_

I never had an answer for that, and still don't. I don't even know how long it's been since I've seen her.

I scratch the dirt beneath me out of anger. I spat at the gouges in the ground, hissing.

_If there is such thing as StarClan, why haven't they saved us from this nightmare yet? Why do they let us suffer like this?_

"Hawk."

I spun, finding Ivy, a good friend of mine.

"Hey," I grumble.

"Something's got you mad. What's happened? You still going into your memories?"

"Yes."

Ivy shook her white head, and turned her brilliant blue eyes to me. "Why do you keep doing that? It always puts you in these... Moods."

"Because otherwise I'll forget!" I spat back, my orange eyes meeting hers. My ears bent back against my silvery pelt, and I took a step towards Ivy.

"Maybe, just maybe, forgetting is a good idea. I lost my mother and my two sisters to the Shadows too, Hawk. I know what you feel, and I don't want to carry it with me the rest of my life. I don't want you to."

I lowered my guard a little. "But what kind of life is this, really? We have no light, no warmth. Silvermask can only heal the smallest injuries now, and she's on the verge of being taken herself."

Ivy looked down at the ground, and I felt guilty immediately for saying that. Everyone knew Silvermask was quite elderly, and was the only one with a full name now. The practice has been forgotten among our leaders, and no one recognized the significance anymore anyway.

Unable to look Ivy in the eye anymore, I turned away and headed for my corner of the den. I curled up in the corner and shut my eyes tight, trying to block out the world.

But I already knew darkness doesn't eliminate darkness.


	2. Clouded

**Hey all, sorry if I confused you with the prologue there. This is the official first chapter of Aura, so here's the allegiances, and I hope you enjoy! Also, please review! I would love to see what all of you lovely readers think of this, and I'll be happy to answer any questions of any kind! It could be serious (if I like pie), just a random question (how about waffles), or relating to the story (does Hawk like pie).**

* * *

Allegiances

Leader: Fox- A dark brown tom with amber eyes.

Deputy: Feather- A cream colored she-cat with yellow eyes.

Medicine cat: Silvermask- A striped white and gray she-cat with very light blue eyes.

Mentor to: Ash- A very dark gray tom with orange eyes.

Warriors

Dark- A black tom with white paws and chest and blue-green eyes.

Mentor to Hawk

Mouse- A tiny gray she-cat with green eyes.

Mint- A ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Mentor to Ivy

Raven- A sleek black tom with dark brown eyes.

Mist- A medium gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Mentor to Jay

Red- A red-brown tom with black spots and green eyes.

Creek- A pale gray she-cat with darker gray stripes and orange eyes

Ice- A white tom with blue-green eyes

Apprentices

Hawk- A silver tom with orange eyes.

Ivy- A white she-cat with blue eyes and an oddly long tail.

Jay- A blue-gray tom with amber eyes and a white chest and belly. Has a deformed muzzle.

Queens

Gold- A golden she-cat with amber eyes and orange tabby stripes. Mother to Ember {mottled brown she-kit with gold eyes} and Frog {scrawny gold she-kit with orange eyes}.

* * *

Hawk crouched down, the fur on his belly brushing up against the dirt beneath him, picking up a few loose brown crumbs as he slowly crept forward into the darkness in front of him.

He did not see the mouse, but rather sensed it. He heard it's tiny claws digging into the dirt, searching for scraps of food. But he did not see the tiny gray creature, but still knew where it was, even though it was only a faint idea of it's location.

Hawk settled lower down in his stance, ready to pounce. He hesitated for a moment, then pounced, finally deciding to trust his instincts. A small squeal and the feeling of a soft, furry body under his paws informed him his instincts were correct. The silver tom swiftly ended the mouse's life with a bite to the neck, then picked up it's limp body and headed back to where Dark was standing, using his sense of smell to find his mentor.

"That was a good first try," Dark purred, but his voice quickly returned to it's usual grouchy tone. "But next time, don't hesitate. If you hesitate when you need to act, you won't get it done. Got it?"

Hawk nodded.

"Good. Now then, let's head back to camp, and we'll train there."

Dark picked up the tiny snake he had found, and started off toward camp. Not wanting to get lost in the black cloak that surrounded them all, Hawk hurried to catch up to the other tom.

They were roughly close to camp for hunting; both Hawk and Dark considered it a miracle that they had even found anything this close to camp, and Hawk was sure that Dark would tell Fox as soon as they got back.

Hawk trotted along beside Dark, and tried hard to listen to what his mentor was saying. But, as always, there was that other side of him that constantly asked, _what's the point? Aren't we all dead in the end anyway? What do you even train for? All the cats that are still alive are in this Clan, and there's no more wars to fight. Badgers, or whatever those things were called, disappeared long ago, as with dogs and Twolegs. What is there to fight, and what do you have to fight for?_

Hawk attempted to shake those thoughts from his mind. Of course he had something to fight for! He had Jay, Ivy, Silvermask, and everyone else he cared about. He had to fight, because that's what Cloud and Mother would have wanted.

"...And besides, I thought you wanted to get back to Gold and see her new kits!"

Hawk snapped back to reality in an instant. He realized he had stopped in his tracks, but for how long, he didn't know. It didn't seem like it had been that long, but apparently, it had been. Dark was waiting impatiently a tail-length or so in front of him, the jade-green snake still hanging limply in his jaws. Of course, Hawk still had... Wait. Where _did_ his mouse go?

_Did I drop it when I was in that trance?_ Hawk's chest tightened, and he felt the cold, hard grip of fear. He could be severely punished for losing prey! And Dark never lied, and wouldn't start for him!

"I... I..." Hawk began, but he was unable to force any explanation out.

Dark sighed. "Hawk, something's wrong here. You've been in these odd trances a lot lately, and almost every time you end up doing something mouse-brained that you don't even remember doing." The black and white tom began to walk away. "You're going to see Silvermask when we get back."

Hawk nodded again, slower this time, and followed Dark. The silver tom's tail drooped, and he couldn't look up from his paws. He sensed as Dark turned his head to look at him over his shoulder, but Hawk couldn't bring himself to look at the black tom. It was a well known fact that Dark had little sympathy for anyone, which his mother noticed quickly and named him after the thick shadows that had settled on the Clan. Hawk both appreciated the fact that he had Dark as his mentor, but also hated it.

As usual, Hawk's mind began to drift again, and this time, he made no move to stop it. He was too weak mentally at the moment to put up the barriers he usually built.

_Hawk?_

Ivy's familiar voice echoed in the apprentice's mind.

_Ivy?_ Hawk responded, but his response took longer than it usually did. It had been a while since he had talked with Ivy in this manner.

_Well, who else would it be, genius?_

Hawk's tail lifted slightly off the ground. _I dunno, I guess it could be that StarClan that Cloud always talked about._

_I've wondered about them. I tried asking Silvermask once, but she wouldn't tell me anything and told me to 'keep my nose out of it'._ A pause. _Definitely makes you more curious, doesn't it?_

_Yeah, I guess it does. Do you think they still exist somewhere? Our ancestors, or StarClan, or whatever?_

Hawk felt Ivy shrug. _Not really. I mean, what have they really done to make me believe? Why don't they help us, or at least give us hints on how to survive here?_

Hawk snorted, but tried to keep it quiet. _It would be nice to have hints. But then again, we can't really get much worse than this, can we?_

_No, I guess we can't. Hey, how far are you from camp? Gold's kits are adorable! Silvermask let me see them!_

_Well, it doesn't smell that far,_ Hawk told Ivy, scenting the air for the easily recognizable scent of the medicine cat den. It wasn't too strong, but wasn't faint either, and Hawk guessed they were maybe two tree-lengths from camp._ So, what are their names?_

_Well, one of them is Ember, and Gold is still deciding for her other kit. Come on, hurry! I don't want you to miss it!_

Hawk cut off their conversation. He wouldn't let himself be too late. Of course, if he rushed, it would look like he cared about Gold at more than a healthy level. Ice was already a bit suspicious of him anyway, but that tom was suspicious of everything and everyone. What Gold saw in Ice mystified both Hawk and Ivy alike.

The silver tom squinted a little as they neared camp, the blue-ish light that the Clan's Moonstone emitted blinding him temporarily. However dim it was, it was a sudden change from the complete darkness that was the rest of the world. Fox was wise to have put the stone in the center of camp.

When Hawk's eyes finally adjusted to the light, he couldn't help but look up at the Moonstone. It seemed so much larger than it should have been, almost like a stalagmite that spiraled upwards toward the sky. It was about four tail-lengths tall, in all it's glowing blue beauty. Fox used it to conduct Clan meetings, as the otherwise flat plane provided no other vantage points.

Hawk noticed Ivy's blindingly white pelt streak out of the nursery and rush toward him.

"Took you two lo-... What happened?"

Dark continued walking, heading for Fox's den. He paused near the Moonstone, and instead headed for the fresh-kill pile, or rather, scrap-pile as most cats called it now, and delicately dropped the snake on top.

"Hawk,"Ivy prodded, pushing his shoulder. "Tell me what happened." She she-cat lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "You cut off our connection so quickly I thought something happened to you. I thought something got you... You had me so worried!"

"Sorry," Hawk mewed, still watching Dark. "I don't really know why I cut it off. But I've just been zoning out and going into my trances so much I was worried I'd do it again..."

Ivy's blue eyes seemed to burn holes in Hawk's pelt as she stared, unblinking. "You had a trance again?"

Hawk nodded. "I was just walking, following Dark, and then my thoughts began to wander again. Next thing I know, Dark's staring at me and I managed to lose a whole mouse in the process!"

"Oh, Hawk..." Ivy licked one of Hawk's silvery ears affectionately. "Let's go ask Silvermask about it. If anything, she'll cover for you when Dark tells Fox about the prey incident."

Hawk took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out. "Sure."

Ivy led the way to Silvermask's den, which was the closest of all the dens to the Moonstone. Of course, she rarely used it anymore. If she did, no one ever saw her.

Both apprentices had to dip their heads slightly as they entered the burrow-like structure, as it's ceiling was starting to sag.

"I don't think anyone would be surprised if this place caves in sometime," Hawk commented, looking at the precariously low roof.

Ivy snorted. "Yeah, really."

The two cats continued deeper into the medicine cat den, the azure light growing dimmer and dimmer the deeper down they went. Finally, they reached the end of the downward journey, and were greeted by Ash.

The dark gray tom gave Ivy and Hawk a slight nod before disappearing elsewhere into the network of burrows Silvermask used.

"Sometimes I wonder what those moles even did with these tunnels. Because really, this is like a maze. How did they even know where to _go_?" Ivy retorted, her temper already flaring.

"I don't really know. Wonder how long it took the cats before us to clear all of them out of here..."

Hawk pawed at some of the glowing moss that now lined the network of tunnels. Silvermask had found it at some point, and, upon noticing it released an orange-yellow glow in the dark, had collected massive bundles of it to illuminate her den as well as the parts of camp that weren't in the Moonstone's light.

Hawk's mind once again roamed the vast expanse of his thoughts and memories, and pulled out yet another memory of his mother and Cloud.

_"Light means security, and so with the Moonstone and Silvermask's moss, we are safe."_

_"But Mother, what if the light goes out? What if the Moonstone stops glowing?" Cloud fretted._

_Hawk snorted. "Come on Cloud. What do you think, that mouse-brained StarClan is going to make it go out?" he sneered._

_"Hawk!" his mother scolded. "Never speak about your ancestors in that way!"_

Hawk felt someone push him, but he was already dug in like a tick. He wasn't coming out until the memory finished, whether he wanted it to or not.

_"I don't even think they exist, Mother! What proof do you even have?!" Hawk yelled, suddenly furious._

_His mother stopped, and simply looked at him. A long silence settled upon the three of them._

_"M-Mother, I'm going outside for a bit," Cloud mewed, quickly running out of the nursery._

_Hawk's mother watched the white she-kit until she could no longer see her. "Hawk, why do you do this?"_

_Hawk shook his head. "Do... Do what?"_

_The large silver she-cat turned to look at her son. "You really don't know? You don't remember what you just did?"_

_Hawk's orange eyes looked pleadingly at his mother, and he shook his head._

_"Hawk, something is different about you. No one else can know about this, you understand me?"_

Hawk finally emerged from the memory, the invisible force that was making him remember vanishing just like the memory did once it finished. He was left only with the vaguest emotions and flashes of what happened.

"Hawk!"Ivy yelled, right into his ear. He winced.

"Sorry. Had a flashback." The silver tom now noticed that Silvermask was in the area as well, and was watching.

"Ivy told me about your... Trances," she meowed. "You were in this particular one for a while."

"I... I was?"

Both she-cats nodded, and Silvermask took a step toward him.

"Hawk," Silvermask purred, "I need you to trust me with this. You too, Ivy. I now know for a fact that there's much more to you two than you tell everyone else."

* * *

**Yay! I did it! I don't have word count for this story, so I never really know how long it is. Eh, whatever. Ahem. SO! Drop me a review, even if you're just browsing. I want to know what people are thinking about this whole thing, since it wasn't even my idea in the first place. ****_Graymist the Great _****should get LOADS of credit, since she started this story and just let me run with it. She also gave me the summary! But yeah. I should just shut up now... This is a long A/N... X3 **

**Happy writing all, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Of Mind and Body

Hawk curled up even tighter, becoming half his size. He hid his face under his tail, not looking up even when Ivy talked to him. He simply scrunched up into an even tighter ball until it wasn't possible to get any smaller. The dim light from outside bathed parts of his silver fur in an eerie blue light, making him look vaguely ghost-like.

"Hawk, it's not that bad. It didn't kill anyone or anything," Ivy mewed, keeping her voice low. The white she-cat had an urge to clean her dirty fur, but pushed the thought aside for a moment, more concerned about her friend than her personal hygiene.

Hawk attempted to say something through his tail, but it came out too muffled for Ivy to understand.

"What was that?" Ivy tilted her head and scooted a bit closer to the tom, trying to hear him.

Hawk lifted his head ever so slightly, his tail dropping to the floor and his face becoming partly visible. "I know," he meowed, his voice cracking a little.

Ivy opened her mouth to ask something else, but decided it would be better if her comment went unsaid. It would've seemed insensitive, to ask why Hawk was upset about losing so many memories. And besides, it was a rhetorical question.

Hawk's latest trance and memory loss had happened while he and Ivy were explaining their situation to Silvermask. Before they had finished, Hawk had gone into another trance. This time, it lasted for considerably longer, and he lost almost all of his memories concerning his mother and Cloud. Only the smallest of details remained, and any scraps of memories that Hawk still had were blurry, melding together until no one event was distinguishable from another. He hadn't moved from his corner of Silvermask's den since.

Ivy sighed. Leaving her friend to his own thoughts, the white she-cat wandered outside of the medicine cat den. She knew that if Hawk wanted to talk to her, he would simply make a connection and call her back to the medicine cat den, so Ivy kept her mind open to him. Just in case.

The rest of the Clan was already sleeping, Fox having decided the 'day' was over and sending everyone to the dens to sleep. This left Ivy to go roughly anywhere she pleased inside of camp without anyone noticing.

Padding silently along the hard, cold ground, Ivy wandered to the far edge of camp, the darkest place without going completely out into the endless void. To many cats, camp meant safety, but to Ivy, it was almost like a prison, so when she could, she escaped from it all. It was like the world outside called to her, enticing her to venture into it's dark depths. Of course, she never went fully out, just to the edge between their small world of light and the realm of shadows that made up the rest of the world.

A chill ran down Ivy's spine as she neared her selected spot. It confused her momentarily, frightening the she-cat, but she continued. _It's probably just a breeze or something_, Ivy told herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

Her paws stopped just shy of the invisible boundary she had created for herself, where the light from the Moonstone had all but completely faded, making a thin band of medium gray that separated the eternal night from camp. Her fur bristled. _Something isn't right here..._

_Ivy?_

Ivy jumped, her nerves now completely shot.

_Geez, Hawk! You scared me! The she-cat responded, once she had gotten control of herself once more._

_Sorry. Kind of forgot that you'd be... Out there._

_Well, where else should I go?_ Ivy countered. _We're supposed to be sleeping, anyway._

_Yeah, well, it's not like Fox really comes around and checks._

Ivy snorted. _Hawk, I'll be right back. Give me a few minutes._

Ivy cut off the connection, but didn't leave right away. A chilly breeze blew along, ruffling Ivy's fur and blowing a few specks of dirt into her already-dirty pelt. Lifting a paw, Ivy began to clean herself a little, but it was more of an idle activity than an actual need to clean herself.

The she-cat shuddered again, the odd feeling in her spine returning. Something was truly wrong now, and Ivy slowly stood, staring out in front of her.

A pair of bright orange eyes stared right back at Ivy, not connected to any body whatsoever.

* * *

**Yay! This one seems a bit short, but I'm not sure if it is or not... But I still like it! I'm trying to work on being descriptive, but geez, this was like the worst story to do it for, in a way. I mean, the entire world is basically BLACK, and camp is pretty much blue! Ah, well, whatever. **

**Please read and review! It makes me happy! And in case you don't know, this story might mysteriously change authors... But KonoDragon will still be part of it, so just look for that. :D**


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